Mental Health Sector

New documents released by the Mindframe Initiative in March 2010

ABS Data release: Key messages for Health Sector (March 2010):

Mindframe has released a two-page document for the mental health and suicide prevention sectors to explain changes to the Causes of Death Data by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and to highlight some key messages when engaging with the media.

Click here for the two-page summary.

The Mindframe project team has also released advice to stakeholders about changes to the ABS data, to be released March 2010.

Click here for a summary of the advice.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) will release the 2008 Causes of Death data on 31 March 2010. For more information visit www.abs.gov.au

New research documents (March 2010):

Suicide and the news and information media, a critical review of the international research evidence; and

The Media Monitoring Project, outlining changes in the extent, nature and quality of media reporting in Australia.

Click here for a one-page summary of the reports.

This website has been created to assist people involved in the mental health and suicide prevention sectors to communicate effectively with the media about suicide, mental health and mental illness.

Key sections of the site include information about:

Issues to consider when talking to the media about suicide and mental illness;.
Getting to know the media and how the media works;.
Tools for working with the media;
Facts and statistics about suicide and mental illness; and
Key contacts.

This website and accompanying print resource - Suicide and Mental Illness in the Media: A Mindframe resource for the mental health sector - was developed with the assistance of media professionals, suicide and mental health experts and consumer organisations.

Downloadable pdf copies of the full Suicide and Mental Illness in the Media resource (including quick reference cards for General, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural health networks) can be accessed here.